Machine for making and applying staples.



C. LEA. MACHINE FOR MAKING AND APPLYING STAPLES.

APPLICA-[IGN FILED MAR23 i915- 1,214,930. Patented Feb. 6,1917.

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APPLICATION FILED MAR23. ISIS.

19214993@ Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

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CHARLES LEA, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LEA-IRVING MANU- FACTURING CO., OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS. i

MACHINE FOR MAKING AND APPLYING STAPLES.

Specivcation of Letters Patent.

)Patented Feb. 6, 191'?.

Application led March 23, 1915. Serial No. 16,457.

T o all whom it mayV concern Be it known that I, CHARLES LEA. a citizen of the United States. and a resident of Boston. county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, (whose post-oiiice address is 195 Freeport street, Dorchester. Massachusetts.) have invented an Improvement in Machines for Making and Applying Staples. of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings. is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relatesto machines for making and applying staples` and is more particularlyv concerned with a machine whereby a strip of plain, flat sheet metal having substantially straight parallel edges is made into staples and applied to sheets cloth, leather, or other similar sheet material, or other articles which it is desired to fasten together.

My invention will be best understood by referring to the following specification, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing of one illustrative embodiment thereof, while its scope will be I more particularly pointed out in the ap*- pended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan. partly in horizontal section.'of a st-a'plemaking and applying machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine, partly in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on line 3--3 of Fig. 1:

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view on line 1 -1 of Fig. 1;

F ig. 5 is a detail plan section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2:

Fig. 6 is a detail side elevation of a portion of the cutting and bending mechanism illustrating the operation of bending the prongs;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on line T T of Fig. 5; I

Fig.- 8 is av detail sectional view on line 8 8 of Fig. 1, illustrating the anvil, and the cutting and bending plungers, in the positions which they occupy when the clenching operation is completed; and

Fig. 9 is a detail plan view of a portion of the metal strip illustrating the mode of cutting and forming the prongs of the staple prior to severing and clenchng the latter. i

Referring to the drawings, and to the embodiment of my invention which I have selected for illustration, I have there shown a staple-making and applying machine comprising a support 10 for the supply of sheet material which is herein in the form of a strip 11 of suitable metal, which ma)T be conveniently supplied to the machine in the form of a roll 1'2. The support 10 may be, and preferably is, in the form of a casing having a fixed shell 13 of generally cylindrical form. provided with a slot or aperture 1l, through which the free end of the strip 11 may be drawn. The fixed shell 13 of the casing is herein provided with a central hub or boss 15, to which is secured a cover plate 1G b v suitable means, herein in the form of a screw 1T which is threaded into said boss. By simply unscrewing this screw, the cover plate may be' removed to permit the renewal tot the roll of sheet material when the same has become exhausted.

unscrewed from the boss, the cover plate is removed bodily as one piece with the screw, thus avoiding the necessity of handling two separate pieces.

The strip 11, which emerges from the aperture 14, leads toward the forward end of theanachine, where it passes through a suitable guide and die or cutter 19, herein in the form of a plate having a shallow slot 20 provided with lateral shoulders 21-21, to provide the necessary guidance for the strip and to prevent the same from shifting laterally, while the upper and lower `surfaces of the slot hold the strip against vertical displacement. It should here be observed that the die 19 has its cutting edge positioned obliquely across the path in which the strip is fed. As will later appear, this is of importance in determining the shape of the prongs. A suitable abutment, herein in the form of a plate 22, extending obliquely across the path of the strip 11, constitutes a stop to limit the forward motion of the latter, under the influence of the feeding mechanism.

be fed internutntly supply. Suitable means whereby the feed lever is given a backward `a lever 23, provided with a slot 24through which the strip is led from the source of are provided,

non-feeding movement, during which it travels freely along the strip and no feeding of the latter takes place', but upon forward motion of the lever, a feeding motion of suitablebamplitude is caused. To this end,

the lever is herein provided with fric- -tional clutching means comprlsing a feed gripper, or dog, 25, in theform of a ilat spring secured to the lever at 26, and having its lower extremity arranged to engage the upper surface of the strip 11 while the bottom of the slot 24 engages the lower surface in such a manner that when the lever `travels rearwardly, the spring simply yields andallows the lever to move without occasioning movement of the strip. The latter is at this moment positively locked against rearwardmovement by reason of the engagement of the previously formed prongs which engage the front face of the lower cutter 19. Therefore, when the lever 23 starts rearwardly under the influence of the cam 2,7, no rearward movement of the strip can' take place. lVhen the lever is moved in a forward direction, the spring grips the .strip against the bottom of the slot 24 and Y the strip is carried forward an amount corl stroke of the lever, and correspondingly varyingvthe width of the staple, lthe lever is provided with means for varying its stroke,

said means in the present instancefconsisting of a screw 29 threaded into the lever and engaging a suitable abutment 30, against lwhich it is held by an appropriate spring 31.

I will now' describe thecutting, bending and driving mechanism, whereby the staple is formed from the metallic strip 11 and applied to the material. The strip 11 is first partially severed by twofouter cutters 32and32 along the, lines A and A' of. Fig.

9 coincident with the cutting edge of the die 19 andin a plane oblique to the strip. As thesel cutters descend and cut the edges of the metallic strip .11 to form sharp-pointed Iprongs, the latter are bent in a downward direction, this being conveniently done by providing the lower ends ofthe cutters 32 and 32 with rounded or beveled inner cor.- ners 33 and 33. substantially at right angles to the oblique plane'of the cutting edges be.-

fore referred to, and imparting to said cutters a stroke considerably in. excess of that required to. simplyslit the metal. In fact, the stroke of the cutters, as herein shown, is practically equal to the length of the prongs B and B which they form. It should here be observed that no forming block is required in the space between the prongs thus formed, it being found in practice that the metal can be slit and bent to form practically a right-angle corner, by the employment of the cutters as shown.

The prongs now have been formed, and the next step is to sever the otherwise completed staple from the strip and drive the staple through the sheet material, after which the prongs are clenched. `To this end, I have herein provided a central cutter 3l, having its cutting edge disposed in the oblique plane before referred to, whichLcut ter comes into action after the cutters 32 and 32 have completed their work. The cutter 3l then descends and completely severs the strip along the line A-AC and practically simultaneously therewith ldrives the prongs B and B throughithe desired sheet material or other article, herein represent-` 4`.ed by C, the prongs being clenched by an appropriate anvil'35 provided with a depression 36 suitably formed to cause the extremities ofthe prongs to be bent toward each other and clenched as illustrated in Fig.v 8. It is found in practice ,that the most satisfactory action of the cutter 34' is se-. cured by providing its lower end with a concave formation, as at 37, which gives it a shearing action. It will now be evident that the cutter 34 constitutes also a driving plu'nger, whose arrangement is suchwithv respect to the cutters 32 and 33 that by their suc-. cessive and continuous action in one direction, the staple is completely formed and applied'. As before stated, the cutters are ar. ranged in a plane oblique to the edges ofthe strip 11, so that the prongs B and B are formed with .angular or sharp points, to facilitate their entrance"into the material through which they are to be driven, and it should here be observed that, in order to make the prongs B and B of equal length when they are cut obliquely, the cutters 32 and 32 should be so placed that the line A along which the cutter 32 acts is much longer than the line A` along which the cutter 32 acts. In order to illustrate this .matter clearly, I have shown in Fig. 9 dotted lines representing the shape of the forward end of the strip 11 prior to the commencement of the formation of the staple. It should here be noted that the dotted line D is` substantially equal in length to the line A', and vthat the dotted line D is substantlally equal to the line A; By thus proportiomng the slits along the lines A and A',

the prongs B and B in the completed staple are substantiallyequal in length. l

The described cutters may be actuated by any suitable mechanism whereby they are operated in definitely timed relation, as for example a pair of cams 38 and 38', which actuate the cutters 32 and 32', respectively, and the cam 39, which actuates the cutter 34 on the downward stroke. The cam 27, which produces the idle backward stroke of the feed lever 28 is so placed with reference to the cams 38 and 38', which produce the downward movement of the cutting and bending plungers 32 and 32', and with 'reference-to the ycam 39, which produces the downward movement of the iinal severing and driving plunger 34, that the cam 2T engages the feed lever 28 and produces the idle back/ward movement of the latter during the bending of the staple legs bythe plungers 32 and 32', as will be evident from an inspection of the relative location of the cams lin Figs. 3 and 4. This is of importance, as will `be evident when it is considered that it requires but .one cycle of operation of the machine to feed the strip, bend the legs, and sever and drive the staple. All of the cutters may be lifted by suitable yielding means, herein a single spring 40, which engages the underside of lugs 41 and 41' on the cutters 32 and 32', respectively, and a.

lug 42 on the cutter 34 and has its terminal portions secured to a suitable support, here` in the frame 49 hereinafter described.

As herein shown, the cams just described are secured to ay rocking cam shaft 43, to which is also secured a hand lever 44, having a suitable knob 45 which may be struck or pressed by the palm of the hand. As herein shown, this lever is formedvintegral with the cam 39, and is moreover provided with an integral stop 46 to limit .its upward swinging motion, and a. similar stop 47 to limit its downward swinging motion. The stop 46 may engage a suitable abutment, herein the rear face of the cutter 34, while the stop 47 engages the' front face of the plate 22, hereinbefore` described. The latter plate also constitutes a means for removably holding the cutters in place, and to that end is perforated to receive a pair of screws 48 and 48', by which it is secured to a frame which will now be described.

As a convenient means for supporting the feeding mechanism and the cutting and driving mechanism, I have herein provided a' frame 49. This frame is bifurcated, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1, and between its sides the feeding lever 23 is fulcrumed on a pivot 50. The cutter actuating cams are also 4disposed between the sides of the frame 49,

and the latter is provided with suitable bearings for the cam shaft 43. As a means for holding the actuating lever 44 in its raised position, and returning it to such position after it has performed its work, I may employ a spring of any suitable arrangement, but as herein shown the spring 31, hereinbefore described in connection with the feed lever 23, is made double, its two parts being secured to opposite sides respectively of the feed lever, and extended therefrom in an upward direction part way about the hubs of the cams, and thence to the stop 4T, which latter is provided with a notch 51 to receive the wire upon which the spring is formed. It will now`be evident that the two parts of the spring 31, as herein shown, are formed on ay single piece of wire bent to form two helical coils which are secured to opposite sides, respectively, of the feed lever, while that portion of the wire which is intermediate the coils is connected to the actuating lever in such a manner that the springs sutiice to return the feed lever and the actuating lever to their respect-ive initial positions.

The frame 49 is herein mounted on a suitable base plate 52, to* which it is connected by a pivot 53, whereby it is permitted to rock, and the operator is enabled to insert the sheet material upon the anvil by simply grasping the actuating lever and lifting the latter, which in turn swings the frame 49 in an upward direction to provide the neces sary space beneath the cutters and associated parts, after which the frame maybe released and allowed to descend upon the surface of the material. Then the latter is properly positioned, the operator then presses or strikes in a downward direction on the knob 45, and thus by a single continuous downward motion causes the staple to be completely formed, severed from the strip, and applied to the material. The base plate also constitutes a convenient mounting for the casing 13, which, as herein shown, is formed integral therewith. y

While I have herein shown and described one specific embodiment of my invention for illustrative purposes, and have disclosed and discussed in detail the construction and arrangement incidental to one specific application thereof, it is lto be understood that the invention is limited neither to the mere details or relative arrangement of parts nor to its specific embodiment herein shown, but

vthat extensive deviations from the illuscutting and. bending means comprising a pair of outer .members having cutting edges for slitting opposite edges of'said strip inwardly along the oblique line ofthe cutting edge of said die,'and having opposed bending edges which are substantially parallel with each other and substantially atright angles to 'said plane and oblique to said path whereby the planes of said prongs will bev substantially at right angles to said oblique line and whereby said prongs are formed with oppositely inclined sharp points; a central cutting and driving member arranged between said outer members and having a cutting edge in the oblique plane of the other cuttingfedges; an anvil arranged to coperate with said central member; means for actuating said outer members to cause the latter by an initial movement to ,slit the edges of said strip obliquely and by iurther movement to bend the partially severed portions to form prongs; and means for actuating said central member to cause the latter by an initial movement to sever said strip in said oblique plane and by continued movement to coperate with said anvil to drive and clench said prongs. 1

2. In a machine for forming and driving sharp-pronged staples from av continuous flat metallic strip having substantially straight parallel longitudinal edges, the combination of means to guide and feed the strip longitudinally, a straight-edged cutting ldie havin its c'uttingedge positioned in a plane exten ing obliquely across the path in which the strip is fed; combined cutting and. bending means comprising a pair of outer members having cutting edges for slitting opposite edges of said strip inwardly along the oblique line of the cutting edge ofsaid die; and having opposed bending edges which are substantially parallel with each other and substantially atright angles to' said plane and oblique lto said path whereby the planes of said prongs will be substantially at right angles to said oblique line and whereby said prongs are formed with oppositely inclined sharp points; the cutting edge ofsone of said members forming an obtuse angle with the adjacent edge .of said strip and the cutting edge of the other member formin an acute angle with the other edge of sai strip, the length of the cutting edge of the first member when measured from the adjacent edge of the strip to' the bending edge of such member, being greater than the len h of thecuttingedge of the second mem r -measured from the otherC edge of said strip to the bending edge of such member; a central cutting and driving member arranged between said outer mem,

bers and having a cutting edge in the oblique plane of the other cutting edges, an

anvil arranged to eoperate with said central member; means for actuating said outer members to cause the latter by an l'initial movement to slit the edges of said strip obi hquely and by further movement to bend the partially severed portions to'form prongs,

and means for actuating said central memberI r tocause the latter by an initial movement to sever said strip' in said oblique plane andby.

continued `movement to coperate with saidanvil to drive and clench said prongs.l 3. In a machine yfr completely forming and driving a staple during a single cyclev of operation, the combination of'an actuator having a two-strokecycle, mechanism op'- erated by said actuator during its working stroke to form staple legs from a strip'4 of material, sever the strip and drive the com-l actuator, and strip feeding means operated by said actuator and havlng a two-'stroke cycle comprising an idle backward stroke during the bending of the staple legs and prior to the severing of the strip and a forlwardworking stroke during the idle stroke of said actuator, said mechanism including an abutment for the staple legs to prevent pleted staple all during one stroke ofsaidV l retrograde movement of said strip during said strip transversely and forming a staple, 4

and means for varying the amplitude of re-y ciprocation of said strip-engaging means, whereby the width of the. staple `may be varied. v a

. In a staple machine, the combination of a base, an anvil on said base, a .frame l compnsmg a pair of spaced frame members pivoted on said base to swing toward and :from said anvil, means connecting said frame members to each other to cause .them to move in unison, said means including acutter and guide for a strip of material from which the staples are to be formed, staple forming and driving mechanism including a plurali of plungers supported by said frame mem rs to partake of their movement toward and from said anvlfi-l, an actuating hand'leven interposed between and supported on said? members to swing the latter, means operated l by said hand lever to actuate said staple forming and driving mechanism 1 and to cause said plungers to coperate with said t cutter and guide, and means also operated by said lever to feed the strip of material between said spaced frame members.`

6. In a staple machine,V the combination of a base, an anvil on said base, a pair- .of-

.Spad frame members pivoted on said base to swing toward and from saidanvil, means i naiaeeo connecting said frame members to each other to cause them to 'move in unison, said means including a cutter and guide for a strip of material from which the staples are to be formed and including also opposed plungerl guiding means, staple forming and driving mechanism including a plurality of plungers guided by said plunger-guiding means and cooperating with said cutter and guide, an actuating hand lever interposed between and supported upon said members to swing the latter and to actuate said staple forming and driving mechanism, and means also oper` ated by said hand lever to feed the stripy of material between said spaced frame members.' l

7. ln a staple machine, the combination of a base, an/anvil on said base, a pair of frame members pivoted on said base to swing toward and from said anvil, staple forming and driving mechanism interposed between and supported uponsaid frame members to partake of their movement toward and from said anvil, an actuating hand lever. interposed between and supported uponl said members to swing the latter and t actuate said staple forming and driving mechanism, feeding means interposed between and supported by said frame members for :feeding material to said staple forming and driving lmechanism and also partaking of the swinging movement of said frame meml from said anvil, staple formi mechanism supported on said cluding the plungers 3232 and Bel and theby said hand lever, means also interposed lbetween said frame members for restoring said hand lever to its initial position after bers, said feeding means being also operated" i l each actuation of said feeding mechanism yits power stroke to canse. said sta le forming and driving mechanism to torm` and paratory for feeding movement during the restoration ofsaid hand lever to itsinitial Position. s

8. ln a staple machine, the combination of a base,'an anvil on said base, a trame pivoted on said base to swing toward and me and instri-p guide and cutter 19, said plungers and cutter having cutting edges oblique to the path of the strip ot material guided by said strip guide, an actuating' hand lever titlcrumed on said frame onean axis substantially at right' angles to said path, and means actuated byfsaid lever for operating said plungers. 1

lln testimony whereof, ll have signed'my name to this specication.

@MARQUES LEA.

and drivingA drive a staple and -te cause said feeding -mechanism to execute 'an idle movement pre- 

